Gears of War Strategy Game Screenshots Leaked?

The shooter series Gears of War may be making a foray into the strategy genre. A set of early screenshots, supposedly from a game called Gears of War: Tactics, hit the Internet on Thursday.

VGLeaks says that Tactics lets players command a squad of four COG soldiers in battle. The player uses Kinect to direct the forces. The game was supposedly for Xbox 360 at the start but now is being prepared for the next Xbox.

The screenshots are very low quality. VGLeaks says that they're from the alpha version of the game or earlier. You can make out a few possible gameplay details from the shots, though. One of the unit icons appears to show long-time Gears character Baird. One screenshot depicts the player using the Hammer of Dawn.

Since finishing the original Gears trilogy, Epic Games has been exploring new directions for the series. They were developing a spin-off called Gears of War: Exile but cancelled the project before it was even announced. Now, along with subsidiary People Can Fly, they're creating a prequel shooter called Gears of War: Judgment.

Whether the company would be willing to explore a new genre remains to be seen, though. The Gears fan base is made up of gamers who enjoy shooters. Would they flock to a strategy game with Kinect controls? Or would it just feel like Epic is cashing in on the Gears name?

We'll have to wait and see if anything comes of this alleged project. Epic, in the meantime, isn't saying anything.

"We don't comment on speculation or rumors," an Epic spokesperson told Gaming Blend this morning. A spokesperson from Microsoft declined to comment as well.

A few sample screenshots are below. You can find the rest at VG Leaks.